How was Barack Obamas childhood?

Answer 1

Although he had certain aspects of his childhood that were disappointing (such as his biological father abandoning the family), he has written that he was generally happy. His mom remarried and he went to live with her and his new step-dad in Indonesia for four years. But Mr. Obama's recollections were that he liked the food, and he met interesting people from all over the world (he attended a school that had students from many different cultures); he seems to have gotten along well with his step-dad and he also made some friends. But he recalls being happy when his mom let him move back home to Hawaii to live with his grandparents.

Answer 2

President Barack Obama, II was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was black and came from the African country of Kenya. His mother, Ann Dunham, was white, and grew up in Wichita, Kansas. At the time of his birth, Barack Obama's parents were students at the University of Hawaii. Interracial marriage was rare back then. Mr. and Mrs. Obama separated when young Barack was two years old, and his father left Hawaii. He went to Massachusetts to attend Harvard; by most accounts, Barack Sr. had little if any contact with his son.

After the separation, young Barack lived with his mother and her parents. He saw his biological father (who died in a 1982 car accident) only once (in 1971) after his parents divorced. He had 8 half siblings, including Maya who was born to his mother and stepfather, Lolo Soetoro. He has 7 half brothers from his father's marriage to multiple women in Kenya, 6 of whom are still living (see more in the related questions below about his siblings).

His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another student who was from Indonesia. She earned her doctorate and worked as a professor. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where Obama's half-sister Maya Soetoro Ng was born. President Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian language. He first attended a Catholic school, and then attended a public school. Internet rumors that he attended a Muslim religious school are false. In Indonesia, he joined a Cub Scout troop, and also had several friends. By most accounts, he got along well with his step-father.

Four years later when he was ten, he returned to Hawaii to live with his grandparents to get a better education. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at the prestigious Punahou Academy in Honolulu, graduating from their high school with honors in 1979. He was one of three black students at the Punahou Academy. And, according to his writings, this is where he first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an African-American in our society. In his memoir, Barack Obama described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage.

He has also admitted to being very confused as a teen, and perhaps upset that his biological father showed no interest in him. He admitted to using alcohol and marijuana and trying cocaine during his teenage years. He had a love of Basketball, and was on the state championship basketball team his senior year in high school in Hawaii. His nickname on the team was "O'Bomber" because he could hit long shots with accuracy. His love of basketball continues to this day. He also has expressed gratitude for his maternal grandparents, especially his grandmother, who raised him and tried to mentor him during this period of time.

Answer 3

Barack Hussein Obama was born Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born of Luo ethnicity in Nyanza Province, Kenya. He grew up herding goats with his own father, who was a domestic servant to the British. Although reared among Muslims, Obama, Sr., became an atheist at some point.

Obama's mother, Ann Dunham, grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs during the Depression. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he signed up for service in World War II and marched across Europe in Patton's army. Dunham's mother went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through the Federal Housing Program, and moved to Hawaii.

Meantime, Barack's father had won a scholarship that allowed him to leave Kenya pursue his dreams in Hawaii. At the time of his birth, Obama's parents were students at the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. Obama's father went to Harvard to pursue Ph.D. studies and then returned to Kenya.

His mother married Lolo Soetoro, another East-West Center student from Indonesia. In 1967, the family moved to Jakarta, where Obama's half-sister Maya Soetoro Ng was born. Obama attended schools in Jakarta, where classes were taught in the Indonesian language.

Four years later when Barack (commonly known throughout his early years as "Barry") was ten, he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, and later his mother (who died of ovarian cancer in 1995).

He was enrolled in the fifth grade at the esteemed Punahou Academy, graduating with honors in 1979. He was only one of three black students at the school. This is where Obama first became conscious of racism and what it meant to be an African-American.

In his memoir, Obama described how he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. He saw his biological father (who died in a 1982 car accident) only once (in 1971) after his parents divorced. And he admitted using alcohol, marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years.

source:http://www.biography.com/articles/Barack-Obama-12782369

Answer 4

According to his writings, Barack Obama had a fairly happy childhood, although he was very upset that his biological father abandoned him and his mom. But when his mom re-married, they moved temporarily to Indonesia, where young Barack made friends and learned the culture. he also says he got along well with his step-dad; he may have been teased because he was biracial, but he generally seems to have enjoyed his stay in Indonesia. However, his mother was not happy with the quality of the education he was getting (he attended a Catholic school and then a public school), so she encouraged his return to Hawaii, where he finished his education before going to college. He was very influenced by his maternal grandmother, with whom he was very close. When his mom took sick with cancer, it was his grandmother and grandfather who helped to raise him.

Answer 5

Yes and no. There were two problem he confronted during his childhood. One was that his biological father abandoned the family when Barack was little, leaving his single mom to struggle to raise him. The other was that his mother re-married several years later, and because her new husband was from Indonesia, the family moved there when Barack was five, which meant he had to learn a new culture and a new language. But his recollections of this time in his life are that it was an adventure-- he made friends and enjoyed living in a different country, although he was certainly happy to move back to Hawaii when he was ten.

The fact that his father had little interest in him continued to bother him, even years later. He wrote about it in a book called "Dreams from my Father." But interestingly, Mr. Obama does not recall his childhood as "difficult"-- he would have been considered lower-middle class, and there were financial issues while his mom completed her degree, but he had no idea he was in a lower socioeconomic group. Fortunately, he had loving grandparents who helped and encouraged him, and that seemed to make a big difference in his young life.

Answer 6

I am not sure I understand the question. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii, the child of a white mother from Kansas and a black father from Africa (Kenya). He was by all accounts a pretty normal kid-- very curious, very active, and while being biracial was unusual back then, he was encouraged by his mom to make friends and learn new things. If you are asking his religion, he was born to a Christian (but non-practicing) mom, and a dad who had left Islam and was an atheist. He would later be raised by his maternal grandparents, who were Protestant Christians.

His mom re-married when Barack was about five, and the family moved to Indonesia for four years; most credible sources say that he was able to adjust to his circumstances: he made friends at school and he got along well with his step-dad, although living in a new country and learning a new language must have been difficult. So as for "what" he was, Barack Obama was a basically normal kid who had some unusual adventures as a child but then came back to Hawaii and lived with his maternal grandparents until he finished high school.

Answer 7

Barack Obama spent his childhood in Honolulu in the poor neighborhood with his grandparents. He was not raised by his father, Barrack Obama Senior.

Answer 8

It was very good, although his father was absent he had a loving mother and grandparents and he lived in Hawaii. What's not to like.

Answer 9

his parents divorce when he was only 2

and he had to move to his grandma when he was 5 or 6